An Introduction to Craniosacral Therapy: Anatomy, Function, and Treatment [Paperback]

Don Cohen (Author), John Upledger (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 155643183X | ISBN-13: 978-1556431838 | Publication Date: February 14, 1996 | Edition: 1

Grounded in ancient hands-on methods of diagnosis and treatment while encompassing the innovations of the early experimental osteopaths, craniosacrally-based treatment is now one of the most successful and fastest-growing approaches to mind-body healing. Providing access to the unity of structure and function in the organism, such therapy offers a simple, direct, and non-dogmatic means for tapping the body’s inherent intelligence in a fluid and spontaneous way. We should not presume that the techniques in this book deal solely with the bones of the cranium, the spine, and the lower back. The craniosacral system is no less than the structural aspect of the central nervous system. Its methods originate in neural behavior and emotional energy and include their manifestations throughout the tissues and organs of the body. Both a medical system with precise anatomical criteria and a therapeutic art requiring a practitioner to feel, interpret, and move energy, modern craniosacral therapy offers a unique way to perceive and influence the structural configuration of the brain itself in its relationship to the body’s architecture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Don Cohen has done an excellent job of presenting an overview of the various diagnostic, evaluative, and therapeutic approaches to the cranium, the sacrum, the dura matter envelope, and the fluid which it encloses. He is one of those rare individuals who has a real and true sense of the human body and what it is about. He also has a deep appreciation of the fact that the human body is not living in isolation. He knows both intellectually and intuitively about the interrelations between spirit, mind, and body."
-John E. Upledger, D.O., O.M.M., Founder, Upledger Institute, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

About the Author

Don Cohen, D.C., is a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic West and of the Upledger Institute. Since 1982 he has practiced chiropractic and craniosacral therapy in Santa Cruz, California, where he is co-director (with his wife Karen, a homeopath and chiropractor) of the Branciforte Clnic. Since 1985 he has been engaged in clinical research into the nature of neurologic adaptation strategy to musculoskeletal injury, chronic pain, and degeneration syndromes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 115 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books; 1 edition (February 14, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155643183X
• ISBN-13: 978-1556431838
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.4 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #452,448 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent look at the function of part of the nervous system, December 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: An Introduction to Craniosacral Therapy: Anatomy, Function, and Treatment (Paperback)

Blood brain barrier, cerebral spinal fluid circulation, the layers of dura, locations of vesicles and other structures...all the things my anatomy/physiology professors spent not-quite-enough-time on. Putting it all together at a level that someone with a reasonable knowledge of anatomy can absorb, this book resembles a textbook in some ways. Vague on actual practices of this therapy, but personally I don't care because the a/p is the meat of the book and it's very interesting and enlightening.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A short course manual, December 7, 2004

By 

small acts (Santa Cruz, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Craniosacral Therapy: Anatomy, Function, and Treatment (Paperback)

Originally a manual for a relicensure seminar for chiropractic doctors, it was published at the request of John Upleger, D.O. Not intended as a full textbook, it was meant to be a brief workshop introduction to clinical practice for doctors and worked quite well in that context. The book does offer some insights that weren't presented anywhere else, such as the "lymphatic" function of CSF circulation through the brain, which might be the most compelling reason to seek craniosacral work. There is also an interesting discussion of the neurology of palpation. People who criticize one book over another are missing the point. The various craniosacral books aren't competing with each other; it's best to get as many as you can and cull what you can from each of them. Sometimes a short course is easier to digest. The Heart of Listening, which is a phenomenal and vastly more comprehensive work, can also be overwhelming and confusing for the beginner. If you actually do the exercises in this book, you will have a good start on what should prove to be a long journey of developing skills.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clear anatomy, December 1, 2001

By 

LisaLMT (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Craniosacral Therapy: Anatomy, Function, and Treatment (Paperback)

I found this book to be very helpful when doing my certification exam. It clearly explains the anatomy of the system and broadens one's understanding of what this therapy is about. I don't believe that this therapy is something that can be learned from a book, so I didn't have that expectation from it. The techniques that he does share are simple, basic techniques that one can begin to play with. If it stirs your curiousity for more, get yourself to a class. I've also found it helpful for clients of mine that want to know more about the nuts and bolts of the technique in a readable and clear form, without the length of a textbook.